Hardwood flooring is customizable, stylish, and above all, timeless. However, the number of options available to homeowners can feel overwhelming without the proper guidance. How do you know what colors to choose from? Are there certain materials that are higher in quality than others? The answers can greatly depend on your home, lifestyle, and personal preferences. Here are a few hardwood flooring concepts to consider when selecting flooring materials.
Beautiful Hardwood Flooring – Quality of Flooring Materials
Generally speaking, you get what you pay for when it comes to hardwood flooring. Engineered hardwood is popular with homeowners, particularly because it’s less expensive than hardwood. Unfortunately, engineered flooring has drawbacks that come with its lower costs. Engineered hardwood has a thin top layer, making it very difficult to refinish more than a few times, so it’s not considered a long-term investment. When selecting your flooring, choose materials that can be refinished easily and don’t show signs of low milling quality.
Type of Wood Species
While it’s important to keep color and styling in mind, you should prioritize wood species best suited for your home. For example, if you have pets or know that you’ll have lots of “paw traffic” (see our blog Dogs and Hardwood Floors!), it’s best to choose a wood species to accommodate your needs. Strong and resilient hardwood flooring options include oak, maple, and hickory, and other wood species include bamboo, walnut, Brazilian cherry, ash, and mahogany.
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Grain Pattern and Finish
When deciding on the final design of your flooring, grain patterns should be kept in mind. When a piece of wood is cut, it will create different patterns that add to your flooring’s overall visual presence. You should also decide whether to leave your floors unfinished or request prefinished hardwood flooring; they both have pros and cons: unfinished flooring helps you stay involved with design selection, but prefinished flooring tends to be mess-free and takes less time to install.
Beautiful Hardwood Flooring – Professional Installation
Finally, if you want the highest quality flooring possible, it’s best to bring in a team of professional installers. Always consider reputation, reviews, and budget. When searching for hardwood flooring installers, take some time to do your research. Professional installers have the equipment and experience necessary to perform the job correctly – but don’t be fooled by imitators.
JJ Hardwood Floors Inc. prides itself on being one of Greater Boston’s premier hardwood flooring installers. We offer various services, including hardwood floor sanding, hardwood floor installation, and custom wood floor installation.
Contact us to learn more about our installation services!
